Celebrate Snail Awards, Appeal Day and Food Trucks

Slow Food | Legal in Utah | SuAn Chow's Greener Pastures

2015 Snail Awards
Perhaps you're looking at that header and thinking escargot. Nope. The Snail Awards are the way Slow Food Utah (SlowFoodUtah.org) recognizes "ardent supporters and promoters of local, sustainably produced food." The recipients of the Snail Awards for 2015, which were presented at Slow Foods' 11th annual Feast of the Five Senses gala, are farmer/producer Pete Rasmussen of organic, small-scale Sandhill Farms in Eden, Utah; chef/owner Adam Kreisel of Salt Lake City's Chaia Cucina ("life-giving kitchen"), a culinary catering and consulting business; and John and Casee Francis, owners of Salt Lake City-based Amour Spreads, which makes jams and jellies from fresh, local ingredients using artisanal, traditional methods.

Yippee Ki-Yay!
In celebration of Repeal Day (Dec. 5), Utah's first legal distillery since 1870, High WestDistillery (HighWest.com), has released a limited-edition whiskey called Yippee Ki-Yay. Utah was the 36th state that voted to repeal prohibition, and with that, put the 21st Amendment over the 3/4 margin required for alcohol to become legal. In tandem, both High West locations—Park City and Wanship—launched winter menus with special Repeal Day desserts and cocktails. They put their award-winning Double Rye into oak barrels that were originally used to age Syrah and Vermouth. "This unique blend was created from a combination of serendipity and fun experimentation," High West proprietor David Perkins said. "Yippee Ki-Yay is absolutely delicious, with cinnamon and herbal flavors from the vermouth barrels combined with fresh blackberries from the Syrah barrels."

Chow's Truck
Chances are you've seen SuAn Chow's colorful Chow Truck around town at special events, concerts and such. And, you may even have noshed on Chow Truck's unique sliders, tacos, calamari and salads. Well, SuAn—a pioneer of Utah's now-thriving food-truck movement—has decided to move on from the food-truck scene. But not to worry: The Chow Truck is in very good hands. Local chef and caterer J. Looney has purchased the Chow Truck and plans to continue the tradition of culinary innovation and excellence that SuAn brought to the local food scene. Find the truck's location at ChowTruck.com, or on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.